Murder Makes Waves (Jack and Frances mysteries Book 3) by Carmen Radtke – Review by Jennifer Gordon

Murder Makes Waves by Carmen Radtke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

‘Murder Makes Waves’ is a cozy crime mystery which is the third book in Radtke’s ‘Jack and Frances Mysteries’ series which are set in the early 1930s. Although part of a series this novel can be read as a standalone story. Main characters Frances Palmer, her fiancé Jack Sullivan, and Frances Uncle Sal, aka “Salvatore the Magnificent” are on the “Empress of the Sea”, on a voyage from Australia to England. It’s a dream come true for Frances and she’s looking forward to the glamour of the voyage and the mimosas and masquerades, however she wasn’t expecting a murder. Having been hired to entertain the passengers with their daring stunts and magic tricks they soon realise that the cheerful atmosphere does not continue below deck, which is full of larceny and jealousy. Following a costume ball a passenger is found dead and one of Frances’s new friends is accused of their murder. Convinced her friend is innocent Frances and Jack decide to investigate the case for themselves. The pair find themselves up against a cunning murderer and along with their new friends they must discover the truth among all the deception.
This was an enjoyable and engaging story set during the charm of the ‘Golden Age’ and the glamour of a voyage from Australia to England. The storyline is fast paced and the plot is full of twists which had me both hooked and kept me guessing until the end. The characters are all wonderfully defined and all add something different to the overall story. Thanks to the authors detailed descriptive narrative I felt fully immersed in the novel and look forward to reading the previous books in the series to catch up with Jack and Frances.

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